Love & Family
by Thephoenix1996
Summary: Jamie and Heather were ten years old when they met, fifteen when they fell in love with each other, and sixteen when she left and broke his heart. What happens when twelve years later, Heather comes back while Jamie is dealing with the aftermath of some troubling events? chapter 6:Danny and Jamie resolve some issues and Jamie and Heather are trapped in a basement.
1. A blast from the past

"A blast from the past"

* * *

The Reagans were sitting around the table, enjoying a quiet and peaceful dinner. That is until, of course, Danny and Erin started arguing about a certain case of Danny's.

"Oh come on Erin, that's B.S and you know it," said a frustrated Danny.

"It's not B.S it's reality," snapped Erin. "We have a chance to put a lot of criminals behind bars if we agree to make the deal," she argued her point.

"But by making that deal you're putting that scum in jail for ten years instead of twenty five," he snapped back; he couldn't believe that that criminal was going to get a deal like that and not get the punishment he deserved.

Frank Reagan, who was sat at the head of the table, watched his kids argue and sighed mentally, he didn't intervene because he knew there was no point; they wouldn't listen anyway. What worried him was his youngest; usually Jamie would either side with one of his siblings or try to defuse the tension. But right now, he was doing neither. The younger man's elbows were resting on the table and his head was in his hands, looking like he was about to explode and Frank couldn't blame him; his week had been hard too, but compared to Jamie's it was a walk in the park.

A few days ago he had noticed his son's change in demeanor and had asked him about it, only to be shot down when Jamie refused to tell him anything, saying he was fine.

Frank had ordered Baker to snoop around and find out what she could. Her words had been like a knife to his chest. What his son had to witness was something he would never wish on anyone, not even his worst enemy. Seeing someone die was hard, but watching as a little boy took his last breath? That had to be ten times worse. He knew that it came with the job, but he still hoped that, for his son's sake, it wouldn't happen to him.

Frank knew that Jamie felt guilty, felt that he was responsible for the boy's death, and what bothered him most was the fact that his youngest refused to talk about it. He didn't know how to talk to Jamie, how to help him, get him to open up; it was usually what Joe did.

Frank was brought out of his musing by his youngest son's weary voice.

"Would you two just stop," Jamie pleaded, and was ignored.

"You're just being pig-headed and stubborn," exclaimed Erin.

"And you're being unreasonable," Said Danny.

"Can I say something?" asked Jamie through gritted teeth.

"NO," Danny and Erin both said at the same time.

"At least they both agree on something," muttered Henry.

Jamie shot his grandfather a sour look that clearly said "you're not helping" then turned his attention on the still arguing Danny and Erin.

"Hey!" He said loudly effectively shutting them both up.

All the attention turned to Jamie. "Just hear me out, okay? I have an idea."

"Well…" said Erin wanting him to tell them his idea.

"The man killed a woman and there's a witness, right?" He asked, receiving a nod from Danny, "Is there anybody that knows about the witness besides you, Erin and Jackie?"

"The witness came forward this morning and I haven't updated the chief yet, so no, no one knows," answered Danny, who still didn't get where his brother was going.

"Where are you going with this, Jamie?" asked Erin.

"I'm getting there," he snapped. "You could hide your witness, sign the deal with Wesley and get the names you want. Once you've secured his testimony, say that a witness came forward and convict him," he finished.

For a while no one said anything, but then Erin broke the silence. "It won't work," she sighed. "It's a great Idea, but it won't work."

"Why not?" asked Danny through gritted teeth.

"Because the deal states that in exchange for all the names he has we have to drop the murder charges," said Erin.

"Why would you agree to set a murderer free?" asked Danny.

"The evidence we have is circumstantial and we can't rely on the witness alone in court, and I'm not setting him free."

"Erin, I'm pretty sure the deal didn't mention any future evidence or witnesses," said Jamie.

"Yeah," she said slowly.

"So, it would be legal and would put him and the others in jail for a long time." Jamie concluded.

The whole family looked at Jamie, stunned at his logic, while Danny and Erin were looking at him with awe.

"That's…it's…" stuttered Danny, unable to find the words.

"Genius," said Erin who had a big smile on her face.

"I could kiss you right now, little brother," said Danny with a big goofy grin.

Jamie looked horrified. "Please don't."

Everybody laughed.

* * *

After dinner Erin, Linda and Nicki were in the kitchen doing the dishes, while Danny, Henry, Jamie and Frank settled in the living room.

"Where's Jamie?" asked Frank, who was coming out of the kitchen, when he noticed his youngest wasn't there anymore.

"The kids dragged him outside to play basketball," chuckled Danny. "He can't say no to them."

Frank smiled and moved to the window to watch his son and grand-kids play basketball and laugh.

"He's good with them," said Linda softly with a smile as she came to join her father-in-law.

"Yeah he is."

"Is he okay, Frank?"

"Who?"

"Jamie."

"Why do you ask?"

"You can't answer a question with a question," she said pointedly.

"I'm not sure," he sighed.

"Danny's been worried about him," said Linda, and was met with silence.

"Who's that?" she asked, pointing at a young woman who was approaching Jamie.

Frank looked at the woman, and his eyes widened in shock.

"That's Heather Reid," Frank whispered.

* * *

All Jamie had wanted to do after dinner was drink beer and relax, but when his nephew gave him the puppy dog eyes he found himself being dragged outside to play B-ball. He welcomed the distraction and decided that problems could wait, right now he would just play ball with his nephews.

He was running after Sean, who had tripped him to make an opening for his brother, but stopped suddenly when a voice he would never, could never, forget called his name.

"Jamie Reagan!" The young woman called with a small smile.

Jamie turned around slowly and looked at her with wide eyes "Heather?"

TBC

* * *

**_Hello everyone,_**

**_This is my first Blue Bloods story, I hope you enjoyed it.:):):):)_**

**_It will be Jamie-centric (cause he's my favorite character in the show) but it will have the whole family featured._**

**_Feedback and reviews are welcomed. :):):):):_**

**_XOXO_**


	2. Confrontations and confessions

"Hi Jamie," Heather said softly. '_He hasn't changed at all' _she thought, as she looked at him watching her with wide eyes.

Jamie knew he was staring at her like an idiot. He also knew he should say something, ANYTHING. But even after twelve years, he was still mad at her for what she did to him and how she left. Jamie also knew that if he opened his mouth now, he'd blow up in her face and make a scene, which he did not want. He was never one to lash out on someone when he was angry; he saw no point in that. So Jamie did the best thing he could think of at the moment; he nodded at her then turned around and began walking towards the front door.

Heather couldn't believe what was happening, she had seen Jamie's expression turn from surprise to anger then, in the blink of an eye, all the emotion was gone from his face and was replaced by a blank expression as he nodded at her and began walking towards his front door.

"Jamie!" she said loudly.

When Jamie heard her call his name he stopped walking but kept his back to her.

"You're not gonna even say hello to me?" she asked softly as she came closer to him.

"Why are you here, Heather?" he asked angrily. "After all this time, why now?"

"Jamie," she sighed, she had expected him to be over it, but from the anger in his voice, clearly he wasn't.

He turned around and, As if reading her mind, chuckled bitterly and asked,"you actually expected me to be over it, didn't you?" he looked her in the eye, "maybe even greet you with open arms, invite you for a drink so we could catch up, huh?"

"I was hoping you would," answered Heather, unsurprised that he knew exactly what she was thinking; he always did.

"Well, too bad, Heather," he spat angrily, "because that's not gonna happen."

"Why not?"

"Because you left without saying goodbye," he hissed.

"I thought I did," she came closer to him, "You know I'm not good with words, so I chose actions."

He shook his head, "You think what we did that night was your goodbye?" he asked incredulously.

"Jamie," she said desperately.

"Just go," he turned his back to her and continued to move towards the door.

"Jamie!" she called again, but this time he didn't stop.

* * *

_"That's Heather Reid."_

Linda looked at Frank with surprise. "Jamie's Heather?" she asked '_she's changed'_ she thought.

"She's not his anymore Linda." Frank said sadly, shaking his head. He knew how much it hurt Jamie when Heather left. "He doesn't need this right now" he muttered.

"We never knew what happened between those two," said Linda.

"The only ones who do know are Joe and Danny," replied Frank.

Linda smiled. "This is perfect," she exclaimed. "Maybe they'll get back together," she said hopefully with a smile, she thought this was the perfect chance for Jamie to start a family with someone he really truly loved. Jamie and Heather were soul mates, everyone knew that. when Heather left, everyone had believed that it was the end of their relationship, but Linda had always believed they would find their way back to each other.

Her smile fell at Frank's words.

"It's not that simple, Linda," he said shaking his head sadly, "she was his first love, his best friend and she left without even saying goodbye."

"But that was twelve years ago," she objected, "And I'm sure Jamie will forgive her."

Frank said nothing.

He knew how much Jamie had been hurt at Heather's departure. Frank also knew that Jamie had never loved anyone, never let anyone in, as much as he did Heather. Which makes her sudden come back harder on him.

Linda turned to the window and saw Jamie talking angrily to Heather.

"Come on Frank, desert is gonna be ready soon," she said with a sigh.

Frank nodded and headed to the living room, while Linda went to the kitchen.

* * *

Heather was unable to stop the tears. She knew the way she left had hurt him badly, but at that time, she had thought it was the perfect way to leave things.

When she neared her home, she found her mother waiting for her on the front porch swing, looking at her guiltily and sympathetically. Heather ran the remaining distance and threw her arms around her mother tightly; her mother hugged her back just as tightly.

"He hates me, Ma," she sobbed, "Jamie hates me."

"Shhh, it's okay honey," Ronda tried to sooth her daughter, "It'll be okay."

"He was so angry!" she continued to sob.

"Come on." Ronda said getting up. "You need to sleep"

Heather nodded numbly and went straight to her bedroom. She didn't even bother to change.

Heather laid on the bed and found herself crying, again. That night, Heather cried herself to sleep, hoping against hope, things would somehow get back to what they were, between her and Jamie.

* * *

Jamie closed the door angrily and went to the living room, where he found his father, grandfather and brother sitting.

"Hey Jamie," his brother greeted him cheerfully, "come watch the game," Danny continued as he patted the spot next to him.

"Thanks, but I'm going home," he said as he picked up his things.

"What about desert?" Frank asked with a frown.

"I'm not really hungry."

Before any of them can say anything Linda came to the living room with Erin, Nicki and the boys trailing behind her, and gave each of them an ice cream bowl.

When Linda noticed Jamie was holding his coat, ready to leave she asked with a frown, "You're going home?"

"Um… Yeah," he said nervously.

"But I made the ice cream," exclaimed Erin with a slight pout, knowing her brother wouldn't say no to that.

Jamie sighed "fine."

* * *

After desert Erin, Nikki Danny, Linda and the boys had gone home, and Henry had gone to bed, which left Frank and Jamie alone in the living room.

"What's bothering you, son?" asked Frank quietly.

"Nothing," answered Jamie quickly, too quickly.

"You know you can't lie to me, son. Is this about Heather?"

Jamie's head shot up at that, "How did you know she's here?"

"I saw you two talking outside," answered Frank truthfully.

Jamie snorted, "more like yelling," he muttered.

Jamie took a deep breath and looked at his father, "I can't handle this right now, dad," he said brokenly.

"Talk to me son," Frank said desperately, he hated seeing his youngest in so much emotional pain.

"Nothing to talk about dad," he said, shaking his head, "I need to get home," he said getting up.

"You haven't been sleeping," said Frank firmly causing his son to stop in his tracks.

"You look like you're about to pass out any second now," he continued, "sit down, son."

Jamie did.

"Talk to me," he repeated, but this time he said it firmly.

"I can handle it on my own, dad," Jamie said weakly.

"You don't have to, Jamie," he grasped his son's hand tightly, "As long as you have me and this family, you never have to."

Jamie blew out a shaky breath., "I don't know how to tell you dad, it's a pretty stupid thing to lose sleep over," he said bitterly; he hated losing control over himself. He hated waking up in cold sweats every night, seeing their faces, their empty eyes staring at him.

"No it isn't," said Frank firmly.

"You don't even know what I'm talking about, Dad," said Jamie looking at his father with doubtful eyes.

"Yes I do," confessed Frank.

Jamie looked at his father for a long minute then sighed and looked at his hands.

"What do I do, dad?" Jamie asked, desperately wanting an answer.

"You talk about it, you seek help, but never try to handle it alone," answered Frank, "nightmares don't magically disappear."

"What you saw, and what you've been through is not easy, Jamie. And keeping it all bottled up is not going to help you, trust me; it'll only make things worse."

"I talked to the department shrink," he said bitterly, "to be honest, I lied through my teeth."

Frank smiled sadly. Jamie had always been a private person, he liked to deal with things on his own. Frank knew it was the reason Jamie and Danny had clashed so many times in the past.

"I'm so tired Dad," he heard his son say quietly, sounding like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

It broke Frank's heart.

"I know son, I know," He left his chair and sat on Jamie's side. Frank gently pulled Jamie in a hug. He smiled slightly when he felt Jamie relax into the hug.

"Dad, it's okay, I can go home," Jamie tried to pull away, but his father just hugged tighter.

"Just sleep son," Frank said soothingly as his hand smoothed his son's hair., "just sleep."

Jamie knew he should be embarrassed, should pull away, but his father's steady heartbeat and warm embrace lulled into a much-needed sleep.

After a few minutes Frank felt his son's breathing even out. He sighed and gently laid Jamie on the couch, and then settled himself on the chair, close to his son's head.

Frank sighed. He wished he could make things better for his kids, but he knew there was nothing he can do except being there with them every step of the way.

'_And I will be_' he vowed.

* * *

**_PLEASE review, I would love to hear your thoughts._**

**_XOXO_**


	3. When she left:2000

"When she left:2000"

* * *

Sixteen year old Jamie was making his way down the street to his house after his long day at school. He was very tired and looking forward to seeing his girlfriend who was scheduled to be back today from a week-long visit to her aunt's house.

"Jamie!" sixteen year old Heather called as she jogged towards her boyfriend, who gave her a big smile as soon as he saw her.

"Hey you," Jamie said with a smile when she reached him, before dipping his head and giving her a tender kiss on the lips.

"Hi," Heather said softly when they broke apart.

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," replied Jamie as he returned her hug.

"Come on," he said pulling her into a one-armed hug as they made their way to their homes, "tell me about your week."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste, "you're better off not knowing," she said with a sigh.

Jamie laughed, "Come on! It couldn't have been that bad."

"Oh, but it was."

Jamie looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Why? What happened?" he asked.

"All they did was drink tea and gossip! I was bored to tears," she exclaimed, "and then there's the fact that you weren't there!" she said sweetly, almost shyly, with a smile.

Jamie smiled a big, goofy smile, "well, I'm here now," he said as he pressed his lips to could feel her smile against his lips.

"Get a room!" they heard the unmistakable sound of Jamie's twenty-six year old brother Danny who, was holding his two months old son, Jack.

Heather blushed, while Jamie glared at his brother.

Jamie turned back to Heather, "I'll see you tomorrow, right?" he asked.

"Defiantly," she said with a smile.

He kissed her cheek, "bye."

"Bye."

* * *

"Hey little bro," Danny greeted his brother, who was glaring daggers at him, "how's it going?"

"It'd be a lot better if you stopped embarrassing me," Jamie answered through gritted teeth.

"Aw come on little bro, cheer up," he said, "it was just a joke!" he said with a laugh.

"Everything is a joke to you Danny," Jamie muttered.

"Where are you guys going?" he asked when he noticed his parents, brothers, and sister-in-law coming through the front door.

"Jamie!" his mother came rushing towards him, "come on there's not enough time," she said as she pushed him towards the door, "You have to be ready in ten minutes!"

"Ready for what?" he asked and she ignored him.

"Ma!" he said loudly, causing her to stop, "ready for what?" he repeated.

"The visit to your grandparents' house, Jamie," she looked at his expression, "Don't tell me you forgot!" she exclaimed.

"No, No," he said quickly,"It's just that I have an important test tomorrow, and it's been a really long day, "Can't I stay at the house?" he asked pleadingly.

Mary hesitated, "Is it really important?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, you can stay," she saw him sigh with relief, "but No staying up late," she said firmly.

He nodded.

They said their good byes and went on their way, but not before Danny shouted "I was kidding about you two getting a room" which earned Danny confused looks from his parents, brother and wife and a scowl from his youngest brother.

* * *

Three hours later Jamie was sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV after he had finished his homework, studying and cleaning his room.

He was about to go to his bedroom to finish the book he had been reading, when there was a knock on the door.

He opened the door to show …

"Heather?"

….

*3 hours earlier*

Heather had a huge smile on her face when she entered her home, a smile which faded at the sight of boxes all around the living room.

"Mom," she called, "Mom!" she called loudly.

Her mother emerged from the kitchen, "Heather!"

"What's going on? Why are all our stuff packed?" she asked in confusion.

"Well honey-uh… come sit down," Ronda grabbed her daughter's arm and led her to the couch, "I don't know how to tell you this, but ...Um…we're moving," she said nervously.

Heather's confusion turned to shock and then melted into horror.

"No," she said shaking her head, "NO," she yelled.

"Listen to me young lady," Ronda said firmly., "You **will not** raise your voice and you **will** pack you things right now."

"Mom, please don't do this," Heather pleaded with her mother in a shaky voice, "My whole life is here, my friends, my school and Jamie," her voice broke at Jamie's name; how was she supposed to tell him that she was leaving?

"Honey, its final," Ronda said as she stood up.

"Go pack."

Heather ran to her room and cried for a long time, then, with her decision made, snuck out of the house and went to Jamie's.

…..

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern as he took in her puffy eyes and sad expression.

Heather ran into his arms and hugged him tightly, not saying a word, just savoring the moment, the feeling of being in his arms.

"Heather, you're scaring me," Jamie said on the verge of panic.

Heather looked at him, memorizing every bit of his features then smiled softly, "I love you," she said softly.

Jamie was shocked at the revelation, but quickly recovered, "I love you too."

Heather kissed him softly at first, but soon the kiss deepened and became more passionate. She pulled him up the stairs towards his room and when they got there she began to unbutton his shirt, only to be stopped by his hands on hers.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked softly.

"Never been surer of anything my whole life," she answered.

* * *

Heather lay awake next to Jamie, who was sleeping peacefully, and watched the slow and steady rise and fall of his chest.

She hated herself for doing this to him, but when he said he loved her back all sanity and rationality left her, resulting in being driven by sadness, anger and most importantly, love. Her love for him.

A couple of tears escaped her eyes as she remembered that after tomorrow she would not see him. Her best friend, her first love, her Jamie.

Suddenly the walls were closing in on her and she felt the urge to leave, she got up and got dressed and was about to get out of the door when his voice stopped her.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked sleepily.

"Hey," she sat on the bed next to him, "I figured your parents might come soon and I didn't want to get you in trouble."

"Okay," he nodded, then yawned, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Heather ignored the question.

"I love you."

He smiled sleepily, "love you too."

Heather hugged him tightly never wanting to let go, but knowing she has to, then kissed him.

"I'm gonna go," she said resting her forehead against his.

He nodded, "okay."

Heather gave him one last kiss, and one last hug then walked out of the door, painfully aware that this might be the last time she'll ever see him again.

* * *

When Jamie woke up the next morning, he was over the moon happy, he felt that his life was perfect now; he had amazing grades, amazing family and a girl he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He was not ready for what happened next.

Walking down the stairs he was met by his family's sad and sympathetic looks that confused him.

"What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

Danny cleared his throat, then moved closer to him, "Heather's gone, Jamie," he said gently.

Jamie stared at him. "What?" he whispered.

"She's gone," he repeated. "She and her mom moved out."

"This has to be a joke," he said backing away from them.

"I'm so sorry Jamie," Joe said gently.

Jamie couldn't believe what he was hearing! Heather was gone! He felt tears welling up in his eyes as he turned around and ran up the stairs into his room.

"I'll go after him," said Danny with a sigh.

"I'm coming with you," said Joe.

* * *

Danny and Joe entered the room to find Jamie sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.

Joe sat on a chair facing Jamie, while Danny sat beside him.

"I'm sorry kid," said Danny, resting his hand on his brother's shaking shoulders.

"We thought you knew Jamie," said Joe softly.

"She didn't tell me," whispered Jamie, "I saw her last night and she didn't tell me."

Joe and Danny exchanged looks, "last night?" asked Joe.

Jamie looked at them for a long minute before he took a deep breath and told them everything.

The two brothers just sat there, listening to their brother's heartbreaking tale, and looking at his tear-stained face.

When Jamie finished Danny pulled him in a tight hug.

"It'll be okay, kid," he murmured into his brother's hair, "I promise."

"I love her Danny," his voice broke, "and now she's gone," he sobbed.

Joe sat on his other side and rubbed his back., "We're here for you, little brother, we're here."

The three brothers sat next to each other; one heartbroken, and two determinate to help him through the pain.

"She's gone," Jamie whispered brokenly, "and she took my heart with her."

* * *

_**And now you know what happened!**_

_**Reviews are welcomed. in fact they are needed.**_

_**XOXO**_


	4. Realization

"Realization"

* * *

Jamie found himself sitting on a bench in the Bowling Green park at 2 a.m. He had woken up from a nightmare and had decided to take a walk and after a few minutes, Jamie had found himself in this park. Jamie had always loved this park. Ever since he was a little kid he came to it when he was upset or needed to clear his head.

"_Why didn't you save me?"_

Jamie closed his eyes as he remembered Johnny's words from his nightmare. Johnny was a kid that lived next door to him with his father who worked hard to look after his son and keep food on the table. Jamie genuinely liked the kid; Johnny reminded him of Jack. Seeing him die like in that accident had hurt and scared Jamie in so many ways…

"_Why didn't you save me?"_

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I wish I could have."

"Wish you could have what?" a voice asked softly.

Jamie turned to see Heather watching him with concern and curiosity.

* * *

Heather had woken up from a restless sleep and decided to take a walk, she didn't know how or why but she ended up at the park, a park that she and Jamie used to love.

She sighed as memories of their time together came rushing into her mind. She wanted to leave but the figure she saw on the bench stopped her. There, under the streetlight she could see his face. It was _him, _it was Jamie. She wanted to go talk to him, but instead decided to watch him.

She saw him close his eyes, his face crumbling in pain and felt the need to go over to him and comfort him, but she stopped herself.

When she heard him whisper he was sorry followed by _"I wish I could have" _her curiosity and concern won out and she found herself asking.

"Wish you could have what?"

When he turned to face her, her heart broke at the sight of his pain-filled eyes.

"What are you doing here, Thea?" he asked wearily, not noticing that he called her 'Thea' which is a nickname he gave her the fist time they met.

Heather smiled softly at the nickname.

"Couldn't sleep," she shrugged, "What about you, Jay?"

"Couldn't sleep either," he answered tiredly. He knew he should still be angry at her, he knew he should walk away right now but he simply lacked the energy to do it.

"What's keeping you up?" she asked concerned.

He shook his head and stood up.

"I'm going home," he said softly and began to move when her hand on his wrist stopped him. He looked down at her hand then back at her face.

"What?"

"Don't leave," she pleaded., "I know you're mad at me but please let me explain."

Jamie sighed.

"Not now," he said shacking his head, "I've got a lot on my mind right now," he then walked away but her softly spoken words stopped him.

"I know you hate me."

He looked at her like she was crazy.

"What?" he asked coming closer to her.

"I know you hate me," she said miserably, her eyes swimming with unshed tears.

"I could never hate you," he said softly, "And believe me I've tried."

She looked at him surprised and saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes, "I'm sorry I gave you a reason," she took his hand gently in hers and pulled him towards the bench.

"Will you please let me explain?" she asked hopefully.

Jamie sighed, he was tired and the only thing he wanted right now was to be home in his bed. But he also knew that this was something he wanted to know since she left twelve years ago.

"Okay."

Heather took a deep breath, "You remember the day I got back from the visit to my aunt's house?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

"When I got back home, I found the living room filled with boxes and when I asked my mom, she said that we're moving," she blew out a shaky breath, "I tried to convince her to change her mind but she wouldn't," she looked at him, " I came to your house that night to tell you, but the minute I saw your face, when you hugged me and told me you loved me, rationality left me and it led to… well you know," she finished.

He didn't say anything for a long time, "You should have said something."

"I know. I'm so sorry I didn't, but I thought it would be the perfect way to say goodbye." she said quietly.

"Why did you think that?" he wanted to know, but couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his tone.

"Because I knew you wouldn't take it well, and I knew it would cause you more pain," she admitted, "I thought it'd be easier for you to let me go if you hated me," she continued, "I thought it'd work," she shrugged helplessly.

Jamie snorted.

"It didn't."

"I'm sorry, Jay."

"Me too," he sighed.

They sat next to each other in silence for a long time, and surprisingly it was a comfortable silence.

"What's bothering you?" Heather asked softly, breaking the silence.

"Nothin'," he answered dismissively, but at her pointed look he sighed.

"Something at work."

"Ahhh I was meaning to ask you about your job as a lawyer," she said, "How's that going?" from the tone of her voice Jamie could tell she was a little disappointed at his choice of carrier.

"It's not going," he answered, not giving away anything.

"What? Why?" she asked surprised.

"Cause I'm a cop now," he said with a small smile.

Heather smiled.

"That's great, Jamie," she said excitedly, "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks."

"I know you always wanted to be a cop," she said with conviction.

he was about to protest when she held up a hand.

"The only reason you chose to be a lawyer is to make your mother happy."

"I liked being a lawyer," he protested, but knew in his heart that she was right.

"But i'm sure you_ love_ being a cop," she stated with conviction.

"True," he said with a soft smile.

"I miss this," he said before he can stop himself.

"I miss you," she admitted softly.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" she asked after a minute of silence.

"Can I?" he asked with doubt, "Twelve years ago, maybe. But _now?_" he shook his head.

"I'm still me," she said with a smile. "And you're still you."

"We both changed, Thea," he said. "I know I did,"

"Deep down you know that's not true," she said with conviction.

"You don't have to tell me but I'm always here to listen."

He nodded but didn't tell her anything, he was still not sure where they were headed. And although she explained everything, he was still angry.

she was a bit disappointed when he didn't say anything but, she knew that he was still mad at her. she was just grateful that he was willing to listen.

she smiled at him, though it was sad.

"I think we should go home," she said standing up, "Before our parents send a search party," she said with a laugh.

Jamie smiled, "Yeah."

* * *

When they reached her house, Heather turned to face Jamie.

"I know i hurt you when I left, and I know that a small part of you hates me for that, but I need you to do me a favor, Jay; put yourself in my shoes, would you have been able to tell me you were leaving? would you have been able to say goodbye?"

* * *

Jamie sat on the couch in his father's house feeling confused and exhausted. He wasn't sure what the talk with Heather was right; he was _still_ angry and hurt. But the main reason for the hurt he felt was because of they could have had but didn't. The family they could have had, but didn't.

He suddenly shook his hid head, willing those thoughts away.

"Can't sleep?" his father's voice startled him.

"Yeah."

"Where did you go?"

"The Bowling Green park."

Frank smiled.

"You always did love that park," he said, "You and Heather used to go read there," he said with a smile.

Jamie smiled sadly.

"Yeah, we did."

"I know you still love her Jamie," Frank told him upon seeing the sad and wistful look on Jamie's face.

Jamie looked at him with wide eyes and gaped at him.

"I don't love her," he protested. Jamie knew he was lying, and that his father knew he was lying, the moment he said those words but, he wasn't about to admit he was still in love with a girl he knew twelve years ago!

Frank smiled knowingly.

"One of the traits I love about you Jamie is that you can never lie to the people you love," he said fondly, "You love her, and there's no point in denying it."

"I don't love her," he repeated stubbornly.

Frank looked at him and sighed.

"Then tell me son," he looked Jamie in the eyes, "Why didn't you give Sydney your mother's ring?"

Frank headed to his room, leaving Jamie to think about what was said.

Jamie sat on the couch with his head in his hands "So much for a getting some sleep," he murmured.

* * *

_**I hope you liked this chapter.**_

_**PLEASE review, I am begging you.**_

_**P.S 1: In case you're curious about Heather's look, check out the story cover and you'll see ;)**_

_**P.S 2: I am writing a new story that consists of a collection of one-shots that is connected to this story, it will be called "Snapshots" I hope you read it and review**_

_**XOXO**_


	5. Bad omen

"Bad omen"

* * *

Frank was getting ready for work when he heard a loud crash coming from downstairs, so he took his gun (thinking it was an intruder) and descended the stairs carefully. He put the gun away with an annoyed sigh when he saw his sons arguing in the kitchen.

"What are you boys doing?" he asked as he entered the kitchen, causing both Jamie and Danny to jump.

"Dad," said Jamie as he put his hand over his heart, "are you trying to give us a heart attack?" Jamie asked with an annoyed sigh.

Both Danny and Frank frowned; Jamie had never used such a tone with him, no matter how upset he was.

_'Guess he's still thinking about last night' _thought Frank as he helped himself to some of the pancakes on the table.

Danny turned to his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"You mined telling me what your problem is, this morning?" he asked.

"Couldn't possibly be your attitude, could it, Danny?" Jamie asked sarcastically.

Danny was about to snap at his brother but was interrupted by his father's exclamation.

"who made those pancakes?" Frank asked with a hint of distaste in his tone.

Danny frowned, while Jamie smirked at Danny.

"I did. Why?" asked Danny.

"Maybe you should leave the cooking to Linda, son," Frank said as he picked up his coat and headed for the door.

He smiled when he heard Jamie laugh.

"Alright, stop laughing," Said Danny.

"The look on your face was priceless," said a still laughing Jamie, "I told you to let me make them."

"They're not that bad," protested Danny, causing Jamie to laugh harder.

"What's so funny?" asked Henry, as he entered the kitchen; causing them both to jump. _Again_.

"Morning Grandpa," greeted Danny and Jamie.

"Mornin boys," said Henry.

"Ohh pancakes," he said as he grabbed one.

Jamie was about to speak up when Danny elbowed him and waited for his grandpa's opinion; his pancakes couldn't be that bad!

"Danny make those?" he asked with a grimace, causing Jamie to laugh even harder than he had before .

"Look who's talkin," muttered Danny.

Jamie looked at his brother with a smirk.

"As much as I would love to stay here and eat your sour pancakes, I need to go," he said as he shrugged his coat on. "I'll see you guys later."

* * *

"You alright, Jamie?" asked Renzulli.

"I'm fine, Sarge," replied Jamie with a smile that didn't quiet reach his eyes.

Renzulli nodded although he wasn't convinced, the bags under Jamie's eyes and the mood he was in spoke volumes.

When they were in the car, Renzulli took this as a chance to get Jamie to open up to him.

"How are you really doin' Kid?" he asked quietly.

Jamie looked at the Sargent and smiled softly.

"Not great," he admitted, "I just can't get over it," he said in frustration.

"I'd be surprised if you did," said Renzulli honestly.

"I just want to put it behind me," said Jamie.

Renzulli sighed and looked at his hands and answered quietly.

"It's not that easy, Kid"

Jamie laughed humorlessly, "I know that, believe me, I do."

* * *

Danny was worried. His baby brother worried him(although he would never admit it). His father had told him about his brother's week, and since then he was keeping a close eye on his brother, but beside the bags under his eyes and the slight mood changes, Jamie seemed to be doing well.

The ringing of his phone brought him out of his musing.

"Reagan," he answered gruffly without looking at the ID.

"Oh my, why so gruff?" he heard his wife's teasing voice.

"Hey babe," he answered with a smile.

"Hi," she answered with a smile of her own.

"You need something?"

"I want you to invite Jamie over for dinner," she said. Linda had been thinking about some way to cheer Jamie up and also check on him.

"Why?" asked Danny with a frown.

"Because you're worried about him and so am I," she answered with conviction.

Danny smirked; she knew him too well.

"Alright," he agreed, "When do you want me to invite him over?"

She thought about it for a minute, "Today sounds good," she decided.

Danny nodded even though she can't see him.

"I'll ask him."

"Bye honey."

"Bye." He hung up.

* * *

Jamie had been beyond happy when Renzulli had informed him that their tour was over; he was so tired that all he wanted to do was go home and sleep all day! But, of course, luck wasn't on his side.

"Hey kid!" he heard Danny call.

"Hey Danny," he greeted his brother tiredly.

Danny frowned, "you alright?" he asked with concern.

Jamie was frustrated; he hated it when people asked the question, even though they knew the answer.

"I'm fine," he answered through gritted teeth.

"No, you're not."

Jamie laughed, "if you already know the answer, then, why the hell did you ask?" Jamie snapped.

Danny sighed, this wasn't going as planned!

"Look Jamie, I just wanted to invite you to dinner tonight," he said calmly.

Jamie's face instantly softened, "I'm sorry Danny."

Danny smirked, "It's alright, Kid," he assured him with a pat on the shoulder.

"So what do you say?"

Jamie hesitated, and then sighed, "Okay."

"Great! I'll see ya," Danny said cheerfully as he waved.

Jamie smiled and nodded.

* * *

Jamie decided to walk to his brother's house rather than drive there; he wanted to clear his head. On his way, he saw the basketball court he and his brothers used to come to, and smiled when he saw the three boys there, two of them were playing and the third, strangely enough, had a camera and was filming them. He was about to turn away when suddenly the boy with the camera shouted.

"LOOK OUT!"

…

"Come on guys," said Eddie "Please."

"You actually want to make a film about two boys playing basketball?" asked his best friend, Peter, incredulously.

Eddie huffed, "Yes I do."

"Fine."

Brad and peter started playing but stopped when they heard their best friend shout.

"LOOK OUT!" Shouted Eddie; desperately trying to get the man's attention, when he saw a car, moving uncontrollably from side to side.

….

When Jamie turned, he noticed the car that was, to his horror, moving towards him at breakneck speed. He moved out of the way, Just as the car hit the lamppost he was previously standing next to.

He saw the three kids moving toward him.

"Stay back and call 911," he told them; he didn't want the kids close, in case the car exploded.

Jamie moved hurriedly towards the driver's door and wrenched it open. Who he saw surprised him.

It was Johnny's father!

"Lucas?" he whispered.

The man did not move nor did he open his eyes.

Jamie gently eased the man's head back to rest on the seat; he wanted to undo the seat-belt and check the man's injury.

Jamie's eyes widened and his heart started to race when he realized Lucas wasn't wearing his seat-belt He frantically started to check the man for injuries.

"What are ya doin'?" asked Lucas.

Jamie noted that his words were slurry and barely above a whisper.

Jamie sighed, "I'm checking for injuries, Luke," he hissed in pain when Jamie's hand touched a tender spot of his abdomen.

"Shit," Jamie cursed; one of Lucas's ribs were broken.

He was about to turn his attention to the man in the seat when one of the boys came forward.

"Sir, the ambulance will be here in five minutes," informed Eddie, who was still clutching his camera in his hand.

"Okay," said Jamie while nodding,"I need you to stay back, kid."

Eddie nodded but only moved three feet away. He kept his camera on the scene in front of him.

Jamie turned his head to Lucas, "we need to move,Luke," he said urgently once he noticed the small flame coming out from under the cars hood.

Lucas just shook his head and pushed Jamie's hands away.

"Luke, come on man."

"I don't wanna live without him, Jamie," he whispered brokenly, "I can't."

"Yes, you can, and you will," said Jamie firmly.

He kept trying to get the man to move; the flame was spreading and there were no signs of the ambulance.

Lucas stubbornly shook his head and refused to move.

"Luke, I swear to god I will knock you out and carry you if I have to," he threatened seriously.

Jamie didn't give Lucas a choice. In a flash, he was dragging the man carefully out of the car.

Once they were only two feet away, the car exploded and Jamie's whole world exploded in pain.

Before the darkness overtook him, he heard the relieving sound of sirens.

* * *

"How is he?" asked a slightly panicked Danny as soon as he was facing Nurse Lana, who is one of Linda's friends.

"I'm not absolutely sure but, from what I saw it was nothing serious," she tried to soothe Danny.

"Lana, he was in an explosion!" Danny was exasperated; he had been worried and annoyed when his brother was late for dinner. But when he got the call about Jamie being in the hospital, he had been down right terrified. He knew he couldn't lose a brother. Not again.

"I know. And he is very lucky that he managed to get out of the situation relatively unharmed," she answered in a calm tone. She was used to talking down angry family members. You just couldn't be a nurse and not be able to handle it.

"I wanna see him," Danny said urgently.

She nodded. "Come with me."

…..

"Dr. Smith! Are you finished with his examination already?" asked Lana, when she saw Jamie's doctor exit his room.

The doctor huffed slightly and looked at the smiling nurse," yeah I did," she huffed again.

"Everything okay?" asked the still worried Danny.

"Are you his brother?" asked the doctor.

Danny was slightly taken aback with the question but, he still nodded his head, slowly. "Is everything okay with my brother?"

"Everything's fine." She assured him then took a deep breath," he has a few bruised ribs, a few minor burns and cuts on his back and a mild concussion."

Danny stared at her, gaping, "you call that fine?" he seriously wanted to hurt the doctor.

She huffed and glared at him, "well, he was fine enough to bug me about a man named Lucas, warn me about you and annoy the hell out of me by asking when he can be released every five minutes!" she said in high-pitched voice that actually managed to make some people stop and stare at them.

Danny stared at her for a long minute then couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

The doctor herself chuckled and looked at him in the eye," I know it seems like a lot but he is _fine _. trust me." She smiled at him knowingly when he opened his mouth. "He's awake. You can go see him. I'm bringing his release papers in a few minutes."

Danny looked at her like she had grown two heads," you're releasing him?"

"Oh yeah." She nodded and then headed to the nurse station with Lana.

"_I swear if that Jamie guy wasn't so damn cute I would've killed him with my bare hands." _He heard the doctor say to Lana and couldn't suppress the laugh that escaped his lips.

* * *

* approximately one hour ago*

As soon as Jamie was brought to the hospital he had been put in a private room. His head was pounding and his back ached and burned, not to mention the tightness in his chest. But the only thing on his mind was Lucas. The older man had already been hurt badly by the accident, and Jamie was afraid the man wouldn't make it. He was sure Lucas hadn't been drunk when he was driving. So that only left one other possibility; Lucas really was desperate enough to not only think about suicide but also attempt to commit it.

By the time the doctor made it to his room, Jamie was tired, cranky, sore and more than a little annoyed.

"Hi Jamie, I'm Doctor smith." She said with a small smile.

He nodded.

The doctor took out her pen light and shone in his eyes to check pupil reaction. When she was satisfied it was normal she started examining the pump on his head.

"Any Dizziness, blurred vision or nausea ?" she asked him.

"Yes, yes and no," he answered honestly.

"Alright, I'm gonna need you take off your shirt." She said.

He nodded and began to take off the black shirt he had been wearing. He hissed in pain as soon as he tied to lift the shirt.

Her voice stopped him from trying again, "I'll just cut it off, okay?"

He nodded again.

She grabbed the scissors and slowly cut the fabric. When she was done she immediately started checking the cuts and burns on his back.

"So, when do I get to get out of here?" he asked as soon as she finished cleaning the wounds.

"I haven't even stitched those cuts and you already want to get out of here?"

"Yeah." He answered immediately." No offence doc but, I really hate hospitals."

"I need to tend to the burns and stitch the cuts then, we'll see."

He nodded.

After she finished the stitching, she glanced at him and surprisingly, he was still awake and showing no signs of wanting to sleep.

"Can you tell me anything about how Lucas is doing?" he asked her quietly.

She shook her head, "who is he?"

"A friend." He answered shortly.

After a few moments of silence, Jamie broke it, again.

"When did you say I could get out of here?"

She rolled her eyes," I didn't say."

His tired glare was not very effective. But she complied nonetheless.

"I told you we'll discuss it later."

"Doc, please." He was pleading with her. "I'm fine."

She stared at him," you were in a damn explosion! You have a mild concussion, bruised ribs, cuts and burns covering your back and you think you're fine?"

"Yes."

"Care to tell me where you got your medical degree from?" she snapped at him. "I'm keeping you overnight."

"As soon as my brother gets here you're gonna wish you released me as soon as you finished."

She didn't say anything. But she was already wishing she could throw the man out. _If only the guy wasn't too damn cute…_

"Can you at least find out how Lucas is doing?"

If only.

* * *

"Hey kid." Danny Greeted with a smile.

"Danny?"

"Yeah kid, I'm here."

Danny made his way towards his brother who, without a word, made some room for his brother.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack." He scolded.

"Sorry."

"You ready to go?"

Jamie was confused and started to wonder if his concussion was worse than the doctor already thought. He could've sworn he heard a female voice say those words, his _doctor's _voice.

"You're serious?" he asked her with a smile.

"Yup."

"you're not just pulling my leg?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

Danny stifled a laugh while the doctor huffed, annoyed.

" Just sign the damn papers." She almost threw the release papers at him, but settled for a glare. she then smiled politely at Danny, before leaving.

Danny turned to his brother with a raised eyebrow, "what the hell did you to the poor woman?"

Jamie shrugged and Danny shook his head, laughing.

"I can't believe you actually managed to convince a doctor to release you." Danny said with a smirk.

"I defiantly didn't convince her. I annoyed, glared, warned, and bugged her. But I did not convince her."

Danny laughed again.

…

As soon as they were in the car, Danny turned to Jamie.

"Here's what's gonna happen," he said in a firm voice. "I'm gonna take you to dad's house after I get you the meds, you're gonna eat, sleep, and then you're gonna tell me everything that's been going on this past week, you got it?"

Jamie groaned.

Danny smiled; he was finally going to get the whole story.

* * *

**_please review :)_**  
**_I have made a few changes, you guys, so if it's okay with you; check out the previous chapters._**


	6. Wakeup call

"Wakeup call."

* * *

"I can walk!" Jamie protested when his brother opened the door for him and proceeded to help out of the car.

"Sure you can," Danny agreed, but did not let go of Jamie's elbow.

Danny immediately noticed the door open and his father watching him and his brother in deep concern, mixed with relief. Jamie, however, was too busy watching his steps and focusing on keeping his balance that he nearly jumped three feet off the ground, when he felt a hand grip his other elbow. This time however, he didn't protest, he just simply leaned gratefully on his father's strong and warm frame.

Danny rolled his eyes heavenward. He could not, for the life of him, figure out why his brother refused his help and complained constantly about it, while he let others help him, without a word. He sometimes felt like he was taking one step forward and two steps backwards with Jamie. The two brothers had decided to make amends, and although they were making progress, Danny still felt as if nothing changed. He desperately hoped things would change between them, they just had to.

Frank noticed his son's mood change and looked at him curiously, trying to decipher what could have changed in the last few minutes.

"You okay, Danny?" he questioned softly.

Danny was startled by the question, but quickly managed to response, "sure I am, I'm not the one who's one gigantic bruise."

Jamie was offended, "I don't look that bad!" he protested.

Danny smirked, "whatever you say, little brother."

"Sit down, son," Frank and Danny gently eased Jamie on the couch.

Jamie blinked. He looked around him and found that he was, in fact, on the couch, in his father's living room. He looked blankly at his brother and father, who shared an amused look.

"You're tired, just sleep, son."

"How did I get here?" he asked in awe.

Danny laughed softly, while Frank smiled.

"Just sleep, Jamie."

Jamie lay down on his side, muttering an 'ow' a couple of times, as he tries to find a comfortable position on the couch. Once he was finally comfortable, Jamie was asleep before he could manage to say goodnight.

"That was fast," commented Danny dryly.

Frank smiled.

"You staying here tonight?" Frank asked softly, as he and Danny went in the kitchen.

"Yeah."

Frank nodded.

"That's good." Frank then sighed heavily, "is he really okay?"

Danny looked at his father, really looked, and saw the lingering fear in the older man's eyes. He looked at him sympathetically, before nodding seriously.

"He's fine, dad," Danny assured.

"Okay."

Danny continued as if his father hadn't said anything, "he was, according to the doctor, so fine that he managed to bully her into releasing him."

Frank stared at him, "you're serious?"

Danny nodded, stifling a laugh.

"She was pissed."

They shared a laugh.

"Remember Doctor Carter?" asked Frank after Danny stopped laughing.

Danny nearly spit his coffee.

"How could I forget? Jamie almost broke the man's fingers."

Frank chuckled, "I think we have it on tape."

Danny thought about if for a minute, "I think so. It was in Erin's 'camera phase'."

"Yeah," Frank agreed.

"You should sleep, dad. I'll stay up."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Goodnight, son."

"Night, dad."

* * *

Danny was awoken by his father's hand on his shoulder. He looked at his watch and found that it was 7 a.m. He looked up at his father with a small smile.

"Good morning!" he said, somewhat cheerfully.

"Good morning, Danny. Come on, there's fresh coffee in the kitchen with our names on it."

Danny nodded gratefully and together, he and his father made their way into the kitchen.

"So, how was he, last night?" Frank asked worriedly.

Danny sighed and put his mug on the countertop.

"Honestly? I'm worried about him. I mean he did sleep, but it was restless," Danny explained, then continued with a deep frown gracing his features, "he kept mumbling that he was sorry, Dad. Why would he be sorry? And for what?" he asked his father, looking at him pleadingly.

It was Frank's turn to sigh.

"He didn't exactly tell me everything, I found out from Renzulli, who only gave me bits and pieces about the whole thing. The man couldn't get out of my office fast enough!"

Danny's frown deepened, "what could be so horrible? I mean Jamie always comes to us when he's in trouble," exclaimed Danny, his coffee long forgotten.

"He isn't in trouble, Danny. He's going through a tough time, and you know as well as I do that Jamie likes to deal with things on his own, in his own way," Frank pointed out. He knew for a fact that something was going on with his eldest. The thoughtful looks and the deep frowns that crossed his face were not the product of the worry he was feeling for his brother. Granted, Danny was worried, but it was more than that. Danny's next words confirmed what Frank already expected.

"Do you think I'm doing a good job? With Jamie?"

"What do you mean, Danny?"

"I just think that if Joe were here, Jamie would've already told him about whatever it is that's bothering him. I guess I just think that sometimes, Jamie wishes Joe was here instead of me." He said the last part so quietly that Frank barely heard him. Danny knew deep down Jamie would never think of that, his brother was just too good of a person to wish something like that.

Frank stared in horror at his son, wondering how on earth he was going to convince his eldest that his brother truly loved him and would never, not in a million years, wish that he and Joe would switch places.

Luckily for Frank, he didn't have to.

"What the hell, Danny?

* * *

Jamie awoke slowly from his deep sleep; he had, thankfully, managed a few hours of sleep. He sat up straight on the couch and stretched, which was a real bad idea. His back felt like it was on fire, and his head was pounding, all in all, he felt pretty shitty. His mind was suddenly filled with memories of last night's event.

The Car accident, The explosion and Lucas.

He stopped thinking about it. Jamie knew that if he thought about it, worried about it, the headache would intensify, which, Jamie thought, was something he did not want.

He stood up slowly, mindful of his injuries, and made his way to the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard his brother's softly spoken words.

_"Do you think I'm doing a good job? With Jamie?"_

_"What do you mean, Danny?"_

_"I just think that if Joe were here, Jamie would've already told him about whatever it is that's bothering him. I guess I just think that sometimes, Jamie wishes Joe was here instead of me."_

Jamie was stunned, why on earth would Danny think that? Sure, they fought a lot, but they were still brothers, Jamie still loved Danny and would do anything for him. To hear him say those words made Jamie's heart swell with emotions; shock, sadness, desperation and mostly anger.

"What the hell, Danny?" he cried out in anger.

"Jamie!" Said Danny in surprise. "What are you doing? you should be resting," Danny scolded his brother, in an attempt to change the subject. he hoped Jamie would just forget it and act as if it he hadn't heard a thing.

He should've known better.

"Don't change the subject," Jamie all but snarled.

Danny blinked and straightened, "What subject?"

Jamie glared.

"Well boys, I need to go to. Don't kill each other," Frank attempted to joke, but his concern was evident.

They didn't answer.

Frank left the house praying whatever happened between them wouldn't make things worse. He had been more than a little surprised by his son's words. He knew for a fact that his sons love each other dearly. he just hoped that their 'discussion' will get them to open up to each other.

with a heavy sigh, Frank got in the car.

* * *

"Did you mean that?" Jamie asked angrily.

"Mean what?" Danny asked, stubbornly avoiding the talk he knew they were going to have.

"Do** not** play dump with me, Danny," snapped Jamie.

"Whatever," huffed Danny. "I need to get home."

Danny moved to the door but stopped when his brother stepped in front of him.

"Get out of my way, Jamie."

"No."

"I said get out of my way," growled Danny.

"No," Jamie shook his head. "Not until we talk."

"Nothing to talk about," Danny said with a huff.

Jamie's eyes softened; he can see how uncomfortable and nervous his brother is.

"Yes there is, Danny."

Danny didn't say anything.

Jamie sighed, "Please tell me you don't believe what you said to dad," he pleaded with his brother.

"It was stupid, just forget it."

Jamie stared at him, stunned.

"Danny, please look at me," he asked quietly.

Danny's eyes locked with his own and Jamie let out a weary sigh.

"You are my brother, and I love you. Joe's death hurt me badly, it still does, but I never and would never wish it were you who died instead of him."

Danny looked at him for a long minute, before nodding and heading for the door.

"How can you not believe me?"

Danny stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes.

"I've already lost one brother, Danny; I can't handle losing another one. I can't lose you."

Danny turned slowly and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of his brother, so close to tears and hurting.

"You won't lose me."

"But if you keep thinking the way you are now, I will," Jamie stressed.

Danny kept staring at Jamie, who wiped the tears from his eyes and turned to leave, but Danny stopped him.

"It's just hard on me; knowing that you're hurting, both physically and emotionally, and not being able to do anything about it, because, for some reason, you don't trust me enough to tell me about what's hurting you," Danny said quietly, his voice filled with emotion.

Jamie's eyes widened.

"Damn it, Danny, you know I like to handle things on my own, even when Joe was alive. And how the hell can you say I don't trust you? You know things about me that no one else does, not even Joe."

"If all you're saying is true, then tell me what's eating at you, why you can't sleep for more than two hours straight without waking up from a nightmare," Danny demanded.

"Okay."

"See, I told you, you don't…" Danny looked at his brother with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

"Okay," said Jamie simply.

"Good," nodded Danny with a satisfied smirk.

…

"Jesus…" breathed Danny as he stared at his brother.

"Yeah, I know," Jamie said with a soft laugh. "Are you satisfied now?"

Danny could only shake his head. He couldn't help but look at his brother differently. The things Jamie has been through in this last week had been enough to bring some of the strongest me crumbling down. He had seen it happen. Danny knew that watching an innocent person die is, and always will be, one of the hardest things a cop had to go through, but watching a child take his last breath had to be harder, so much harder.

The fact that his brother had actually managed to keep doing his job well, managed to keep a smile on his face , managed to not turn to alcohol for relief, proved what Danny already knew in his heart; That his brother is a true fighter, a strong person, that he was now seeing in a new light.

"Danny!" Jamie said loudly, "you in there?"

Danny smiled at his brother. "Here," he said softly.

Jamie returned the smile.

"How are you really holding up?"

"I'm…I'm hanging in there," Jamie said softly.

"I need you to listen to me, okay? You listening?"

Jamie nodded.

"That boy's accident wasn't your fault, you hear me?"

Jamie shook his head, "I should've done something," he argued.

"Like what? Push the kid out of the way? Trade places with him?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

It pained Danny to see that his brother meant it, but it also made him proud of him.

"And that's your answer," Danny announced loudly, looking pleased with himself.

"What?" Jamie was confused and wondered if his medication had any lasting side effects.

"I now know for a fact, that if there was anything you could've done to prevent his death, you would've done it, without a second thought."

Jamie nodded slowly and accepted his brother's comforting words. It irrationally gave him a sense of satisfaction; knowing his brother believed in him.

"Jeez, Kid, your life sure sounds like an action movie," joked Danny.

Jamie looked thoughtful, "or a very angsty, Mexican soap opera."

Danny laughed, "Smart ass."

* * *

It had been three days since Jamie's accident and Frank and Henry were actually considering throwing him out of the house. He had been complaining nonstop about not being able to get out of the house, or help out with anything in the house.

"They're giving out free meals in the church, you can help out, if you're up to it," Henry suggested hopefully.

Jamie's smile almost split his face in two and he all but run out of the door.

Frank and Henry let out a sigh of relief and then looked guiltily at each other.

"He's my son and I love him very much, but he was driving me crazy, "Frank exclaimed.

Henry chuckled, "the boy could never be still and stay still to save his own life."

* * *

When Jamie arrived at the church, he was met by the face of Scarlet Evans, a woman in her late sixties, who always treated him as a grandson.

"Hello Jameson," she said with a worm smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Evans."

"How are you feeling, hon? I heard about what happened," she asked worriedly.

Jamie smiled, "I'm fine, what can I do to help?"

She smiled again and dragged him towards one of the many serving tables.

* * *

Heather was bored, Ronda realized, and it was defiantly not a good thing. Whenever she was bored dangerous things happened.

So, when Heather suggested redecorating the house, Ronda's answer was an immediate, panicked "no" followed by a calm breath and "I heard they were giving out free meals in the church, why don't go help out?"

Which is why, Heather found herself being whisked away, to a large table, by an elderly woman.

"There you go, dear," the woman pushed her gently.

"But what do I do?" she wondered aloud.

She bumped into someone and she turned around.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" she asked hastily.

"Heather?" asked Jamie.

Her eyes went wide, "Jamie."

* * *

"Alright, you two, I need you to go get some plates from the basement," Scarlet pointed at Jamie and Heather, who looked at her with wide eyes.

"This church has a basement?" they asked in union.

She looked at them in amusement and shook her head.

"Yes there is, now move."

Scarlet watched them go with a sigh; she knew all about Jamie and Heather, she had always been a good friend with their mothers. She knows it's not easy on Jamie, having Heather back so suddenly, but she was good at reading people and she knew for sure that those two would end up together. Hopefully.

….

"So, we're looking for plates?" Heather asked suddenly.

She hated silence. She has never been able to be quiet for more than five minutes, tops.

And Jamie knew that.

"Yeah," he answered shortly.

He didn't know what to do, or how to act around her. But, he did know one thing, he was still mad. Sure they had talked the other day, and sure, it had been pleasant and something he had longed for, but that didn't change the fact that he was still mad.

"Jamie, please, I thought we were past this."

He whirled around and looked at her.

"Yeah? And how did you figure that?" he asked.

"We talked?" she meant it as a statement, but it came out as a hesitant question.

"Sure we did, but it doesn't mean that all is fine and dandy between us."

"What can I do? Just tell me what to do to make you forgive me," she pleaded.

His gaze softened.

"Just give me time. I 'm going through a lot right now, I just need to sort things out a bit."

She smiled softly, "Okay."

Jamie grabbed the plates and moved to the door.

"Wait I'll get it," assured Heather.

She tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, she tried again, but got the same result.

"Would you mind hurrying up, Thea, my arms are about to fall off," grumbled Jamie.

"We have a problem."

"What?"

"The door won't open."

* * *

**_Hello everyone,_**

**_I am, again, so sorry for the delay on this one and hopefully it won't take me so long to update again._**

**_Anyways, I just heard about the hurricane 'Sydney' in New York. I hope not many people were hurt by it. Are there any readers from New York here?_**

**_OH, and what do you guys think about Jamie's New partner? Personally, I hate him._**

**_Please Review, I really need to hear your opinion (or in my case, Read it ;);))_**


	7. The Answer

"What?"

"The door won't open," repeated Heather, as she tried to open the door franticly.

"Heather, calm down," said Jamie, as he slowly made his way to her.

"This cannot be happening! I need to get out, NOW!" Heather started to pound the door with her fists.

Jamie quickly made his way to her and pulled her away from the door, "Calm down, Heather. Breathe."

"I'm calm," she snapped at him.

Jamie simply raised an eyebrow and lifted her shaking hands in his worm ones, "you're shaking."

"I am not," Heather stated with gritted teeth as she wrenched her hands from his.

Jamie snorted.

Heather glared at him.

...

"This is ridicules!" Heather exclaimed, as she pushed herself up off the ground, and started pacing.

Jamie sighed. They had been trapped in the basement for the past three hours, and Heather hasn't stopped complaining since then. Her mood swings were worse than Erin's when she had been pregnant, and that's saying something. It was getting hotter by the minute, Heather's whining was getting on his nerves, and his back was starting to itch; something he could do nothing about due to the bandages covering the burns and cuts. Jamie was about to snap. And it would not be fun.

"Didn't anybody miss us? I mean, come on! Mrs. Evans asked for the plates three hours ago, didn't she notice that we didn't get them? Jamie?"

When she received no answer, or any form of acknowledgement, Heather stopped her frantic pacing and looked at Jamie. Her annoyance turned into concern when she saw the pained look on Jamie's too pale face.

"Jamie-"

"Shut UP! Okay? You're not the only one in this, alright? I'm right here with you, and your whining is doing nothing to make this any better, so would you please shut up?" he snapped.

Heather was hurt, but pushed her feelings aside when she saw the pain in his features. She approached him slowly and crouched in front of him.

"What's wrong?" she asked him softly.

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar," Heather said with a laugh.

Jamie chuckled, "I'm getting tired of hearing that." He then opened his eyes and looked into hers, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay; I was being a little whiny."

Jamie stared at her incredulously, "a little? Are you kidding me?"

She huffed in annoyance, "fine. A lot. Are you happy now?"

"Very."

"Are you done trying to distract me?" she asked, slowly.

He eyed her for a second, and then shrugged with a smile, "is it working?"

Heather rolled her eyes, "where does it hurt?"

"I'm fine, Heather."

"Tell me," she demanded.

"My back," he admitted, reluctantly.

"Where's the pain?"

"It doesn't hurt that bad, the bandages on my back are itching like crazy, though."

Heather blinked, "Bandages?"

Jamie slowly nodded, "Yeah. The explosion I was in…"

_She looks like she's about to have a heart attack_, Jamie mused.

"Explosion?" she squeaked.

"It wasn't that bad, Thea." He tried to assure her.

"It wasn't that bad! You were in an _explosion"_ she shrieked.

"And I'm fine now."

"Take off your shirt."

Jamie stared at her, "are you kidding me? Why do I have to take off my shirt?"

"Because I need to see how bad it is," she responded calmly.

"And where did you get your medical degree from?" Jamie asked sarcastically.

"Harvard Medical School, actually, "Heather answered smartly.

Jamie's mouth hung open. He was not expecting that. Sure, she had talked about being a doctor when they were kids, but he thought it was just that; talk.

"I don't have my license, yet. But I will, after I take the board exam."

Jamie smiled, "I'm sure you'll pass. What's your specialty?"

Heather smiled softly, "Pediatric Cardiology."

"WoW! That's great."

"Yeah. I guess we both got everything we wanted," Heather said, smiling at Jamie.

Jamie's smile dropped, "not everything," he whispered.

Heather had to summon all of her strength just to keep herself from breaking down. The sadness in Jamie's eyes broke her heart.

"Jay…" she sighed, trailing off. She honestly had no clue about how to make it right. "Let me see your back, okay?."

Jamie hesitated, "I'm sure someone is coming to get us soon. You don't have to see it yourself."

Heather glared at him. "Shirt. Off. Now."

Jamie sighed and rolled his eyes.

"It's not like there's anything you can do here," he argued.

"Fine."

"What happened?" Heather asked after a few minutes of silence.

Jamie closed his eyes tightly, "I guess life did."

Heather sighed in defeat.

The man was too stubborn for his own good.

* * *

*Two hours and forty minutes ago*

"Have you seen Jamie and Heather?" Asked Scarlet Evans, and when everyone shook their heads, she sighed.

She had sent them for the paper plates twenty minutes earlier, and there was still no sign of them anywhere.

Mrs. Evans decided to look for them in the basement, thinking they needed some help.

Just as she was about to the basement, someone called for her.

"Scarlet! We could use your help here! Someone just sent us a lot, and I mean a lot, of clothes and utilities. We have to sort them out."

Scarlet sighed, "I'm coming."

Jamie and Heather would have to wait for now.

"And it's not like they got themselves trapped or anything," Scarlet muttered to herself, before joining the other women.

* * *

"What do we do now, Jay? It's been four hours!" Heather said anxiously.

"Three and a half," Jamie corrected her and got a glare for his efforts.

"We need to get out of here. I'm gonna try the door again."

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Sure, Heather! Go and do just that. It's not like we've tried that a dozen of times already."

"Would you do _something_, please. You've been sitting on your ass, doing nothing, for the past three hours," Heather hissed.

"Why don't you join me? The floor is comfy."

Heather glowered, "Do something."

"Like what, Thea? Break down the door?" Jamie asked tiredly.

Heather perked up at that, "could you?"

Jamie threw his hands in the air, "For god's sake! Listen to yourself. Do I look like Superman, to you? It's a Metal door."

She glared at him, coldly, before sitting in the far corner; as far away from him as possible.

Jamie sighed, "Thea, I'm sorry-"

"NO, Don't. Don't talk to me, don't look at me, just forget I'm even here. I'm sure you'd like that."

Jamie felt really bad when he heard her sniffle. He gingerly lifted himself up off the ground, and went to sit beside her.

"I'm sorry," He whispered in her ear.

Heather felt a shiver run down her spine, and wondered how he still had that effect on her.

"I'm just getting cranky. you know how I get, when I'm injured or sick."

Still no answer.

"Thea, please, look at me," he pleaded.

She didn't.

"I'm sorry," Jamie repeated, softly.

Heather finally looked at him. His eyes full of apology, and hers filled with desperation and sadness.

"I didn't come back to New York to keep fighting with you, Jay."

Jamie was quiet for a while, then asked the question that had been on his mind since he first saw heather.

"Why _are_ you here?"

Heather closed her eyes briefly, "my mother."

"She asked you to come?"

"No. it's not like that. She's uhh…" Heather wasn't able to stop the sob that escaped her lips.

"Thea? You okay?" Jamie asked with concern.

"My mother is dying, She has cancer," Sobbed Heather.

"Oh god."

"She's dying, Jay."

Jamie wrapped his arms around Heather in a comforting hug, not saying anything. He knew words wouldn't help her. Right now, nothing could.

"I don't want her to die, Jamie," Heather said, desperately.

Jamie just tightened his arms around her.

* * *

"Where is he?" asked Frank, nervously.

"Francis, calm down. He could've lost track of time," Suggested Henry, without much conviction.

Frank stared at Henry incredulously. "It's Jamie, Pop. He never loses track of time. Something is defiantly wrong, I can feel it."

Henry nodded.

"Why don't you go to the church?"

Frank thought about it, for a few seconds, then nodded and hurriedly collected his coat and keys.

"I'll call you when I find him," Frank called over his shoulder.

* * *

"Hi, Frank!"

"Hey, Scarlet, is Jamie still here?" Frank asked anxiously.

Scarlet frowned, "He's not home?"

Frank's heart fell. "No, he didn't come back."

Scarlet frowned, "well, how about we-"

"Mrs. Evans?" she heard someone call her from behind.

"Yeah?"

"I'm Earl Langston. We spoke on the phone, yesterday," At her blank look the old man decided to elaborate, "You called about the basement door, said it sometimes gets stuck."

Scarlet nodded. "Yeah, the other day, Lilly and I got stuck in there but, thankfully we had a key with us, so she did something with it and just like that, it was open! I was so…Oh my god! I sent them there to get some plates," Scarlet said, her eyes wide.

"Who?" Frank asked with a confused frown,

"Jamie and Heather! They must have been stuck there the whole time," she said as she hurried to the basement.

* * *

When Heather's sobs turned into occasional sniffle or hiccup, Jamie pulled away from her and held her at arm's length.

"You'll get through it," He assured her, softly.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," Heather whispered gratefully.

"What for?"

"For not saying the usual 'I'm sorry' or 'are you okay?' -"

"Did you hear that?" Jamie cut her off.

"Hear wha- Yeah! I hear it."

They stood up, dusted off and stood by the door.

"We're finally getting out of here!" Heather said, excited.

Jamie smiled, "Yeah."

* * *

"Will you be okay on your own?" Jamie asked when they reached Heather's door.

"Yeah…Thanks again, Jay," Heather answered softly. She then surprised Jamie and herself when she reached over and hugged him tightly.

"You're very welcome."

She pulled back and smiled at him.

"I'll see you around?"

Jamie smiled widely, "I'll see ya!"

* * *

"Hey mom!"

Ronda sighed in relief, "Thank god! Where have you been? You had me worried sick."

"I'm fine, mom," Heather said as she hugged her mother, a little bit too tightly.

Ronda sighed sadly, when she felt her daughter's shoulders shake, "What's wrong, baby?"

Heather told her mother everything that happened with Jamie.

"You need to tell him, baby. Don't waste your chance like I did with your father. I don't want you to have any regrets."

Heather ran a hand in her hair, with a sigh.

"It's not that easy, mom. He doesn't love me anymore," she said sadly.

"That boy loves you, he-"

"Loved, mom. He lov_ed_ me."

"He still does, trust me." Ronda assured her daughter. "Do you still love him?"

Heather didn't hesitate, "Yes."

Ronda smiled widely, "Then you better fight for him, Cause that boy's worth it."

Heather smiled softly, "Yeah, he is."

* * *

Jamie found his father in his office, reading a book.

"She wasn't the one for me," Jamie blurted out.

Frank looked up at his son with a confused frown, "What?"

"You asked me why I didn't give Syd mom's ring, the other night. That's the only answer I could come up with."

Frank didn't say anything, just waited for his son to collect his thoughts. _With Jamie, it's always best to give him space and let him come to you;_ Frank remembered his wife's words clearly.

"I know I said that she was, and that I told you she might be the best thing that happened to me, but she wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I loved Sydney. A part of me still does, but deep down? I knew it'd never work between us. She wasn't the one, but she was a close second," Jamie finished, quietly.

"Why did you lie to us all? About the ring, I mean."

Jamie sighed. "You kind of cornered me, you know? You gave me the ring and I just… I don't know, I guess I wanted to avoid any awkward conversation," Jamie finished lamely.

"Why go through all the trouble of buying another ring?"

Jamie swallowed nervously, "I promised mom I'd give the ring to the one I truly love."

Frank smiled sadly, "Are you still in love with Heather?"

Jamie contemplated the question. He'd be lying if he said no. She was His first love and, deep down, he wanted her to be his last.

"Yes."

* * *

Hi everyone! Happy New Year. I know it's late, but this is the best I can do.

I am finally free! I aced my tests (thank god!) and the house is almost finished.

Please review, just to let me know someone out there is reading.

**Special thanks to: gibbsbabygirl93, SallyOn, Olivia Marie 20, silvermoongirl10, ilovemedia18, accounting professional, geraldine123 for reviewing.**


	8. As I Lay Dying

"As I Lay Dying."

* * *

"Danny, I swear to god if that's you, I'm gonna kick your ass so hard, your-" Jamie growled as he opened his apartment door, then took a step back in shock as he saw who it was. Heather was standing at his doorstep, looking tired and sad. "Heather? What are you doing here? Everything okay?"

She shrugged. "Just thought I'd stop by, hang out with you? If it's a bad time, I can leave."

She was nervous. She hadn't even planed to come to his apartment. But she was having a crappy day. She had lost a patient today; a two year old boy with blue eyes and dark brown hair, and the cutest smile she had ever seen. She knew she needed someone to take her mind off of it. She needed someone to be there, to listen when she was ready and give her space when she wasn't.

And that was Jamie.

Ever since they were kids, he had this uncanny ability of knowing what someone needed and giving them just that.

"No! No, come in." he gestured for her to come in, smiling.

.

.

"Oh my god! That actually happened? A person wearing a hot dog costume?" She asked, barely able to keep herself from laughing.

He nodded. "Go ahead, laugh. Everyone did," he said with a chuckle. "Danny had a field day with it."

She finally did laugh, and the sound was music to his ears. He watched as she wiped her eyes, after a few minutes, still laughing.

"You okay now? Do you want to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you?" he asked as he sipped his coffee. He had known from the moment he opened the door that she hadn't come to just hang out with him, as she had put it.

Heather's eyes widened. "How do you do that?"

He just shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "So, do you?"

She took a sip from her coffee, settled the cup on the table then faced him. "Yeah, actually, I do," she said quietly. He quickly nodded, giving her his full attention. "His name was Drake, he was two years old with congenital heart condition, you know what it is, right?"

He shook his head with a small smile.

"It means he had a hole between two chambers in his heart. Usually it closes on its own, but on other cases, like Drake's, surgery is required. I'd done it a million times, I swear," her voice broke as she said this. She looked at him, her wide, beautiful, grey eyes begging him to understand.

"So, what went wrong this time?" he asked gently.

"His heart was too weak, I guess. He flat-lined and I couldn't bring him back. I tried to bring him back, for fifteen minutes, I kept trying. I messed up, Jay."

He frowned. "You did the best you could. It wasn't your fault, Thea," he told her gently, as he wiped a stray tear.

"You can't know that! Even I don't. That little boy's body is being autopsied, right now. If it was my fault..." She shook her head.

"I wanna show you something."

She looked at him with confused, tear-filled eyes, and he couldn't help but stare at her. Her hair was atop her hear, pulled in a messy bun. Her face was flushed, her eyes were red and puffy. She was sucking on her bottom lip, something she did when she was about to cry. All in all, she was a mess, and yet she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Jay?"

He shook his head, trying to clear it. "Come on," he said as he took her hand in his.

.

.

"You kept it?" She gasped.

He scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Of course I did! I play it all the time."

She stared at the record in her hands. She had given to him on his birthday, and on it was one of their favorite songs; Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.

Jamie gently took the record from her hands, and before she knew it, the unique sound of Willie Nelson had filled Jamie's apartment. She closed her eyes and as she listened to the song, memories of their time together flooded her mind.

"Dance with me?" His soft voice brought her back to reality. She nodded shyly and took his offered hand. He walked her to the middle of the room, then pulled her closer to him. Once her hands were wrapped around his neck, and his were around her middle, they began to sway gently.

"You remember that night in the park, when I played this song on my iPod?" She asked with a smile.

"Aha. We danced then too, because you had missed prom."

She nodded and he felt her smile. "Best night of my life," she whispered. They stopped swaying and her eyes locked with his. "_One_ of the best," she whispered.

"Mine too."

She nodded.

"You hurt me, Heather," he said quietly.

"I know."

"You left, didn't even say goodbye."

"I know."

They stared at each other for a while, neither knowing what to do next. Then something in the air around them changed. His eyes, the sea of blue she could get lost in, were made darker by desire, lust and an emotion she didn't know what to, or was afraid to, name. She tightened her hold on him, bringing his body closer to hers. He gave her a quirky smile, that one that she had loved from a long time ago; a smile that gave her the feeling as if he knew something she didn't. Caressing her supple cheek, he lifted her chin, and her eyes widened, knowing what would come next. Their noses were almost touching, and she could feel the warmth of his breath brushing the top of her lip. Her heart raced as she stared back into his hardened, yet still gentle and warm blue eyes.

What could only be described as an explosion of total peace and serenity overwhelmed them both. And it scared her. The kiss was slow, gentle, yet somehow remained full of passion and need. She parted her lips slightly, leaning in towards him, yielding to the soft strength of his kiss that engulfed her, gaining in strength until she found herself wrapped up in him, body, heart and soul.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips. "I never stopped."

She could tell it was the wrong thing to say when he stepped back and away from her, as if burned. She wanted to slap herself silly for ruining their moment. She had been stupid to think he would still be in love with her after all that time.

"Jamie-"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "What the hell was that?" he breathed, looking dazed.

Heather felt tears gather at the corners of her eyes, but held them back.

"I don't know what came over me," he continued. "We shouldn't have done that; we shouldn't have kissed."

She felt anger bubble in her chest. So he thought it was a mistake? "Why not?" She hissed angrily, walking closer to him.

"Why not?! You left, Heather!" He snapped at her, running his hand through his short hair.

"I was sixteen, for god's sake! My mom was leaving and I had no family here. What was I supposed to do, huh, Jamie? Stay with you, or on the streets?"

His eyes hardened. "You could've came back. For me. There were so many times that I wished you were there with me, keeping me sane. Mom's funeral, Joe's. I was a mess back then and having you would've made it so much..." he trailed off, unable to continue. "You could've come back," he repeated.

"I did," she whispered.

His blue eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"I came back for you, on Joe's funeral. I heard about it and couldn't stay away. I came this close to actually talking to you, but then I saw _her, _and everything changed. I knew I wouldn't be strong enough to see you with her, so I took the easy way out and left before anyone saw me."

He closed his eyes tightly. "You know what hurts the most?" He asked quietly. She shook her head and he answered his own question. "Thinking about what could've been. How our lives would be, if you hadn't left. How our lives would be, if you had come back."

"I think about that all the time. You weren't the only one hurting back then, Jay. I cried my self to sleep for months. I barely ate and hardly slept. All I ever thought about was you," she said quietly. Tears were streaming down her face, but she didn't care. She just wanted him to wrap his arms around her, to kiss her, to tell her he loved her.

He exhaled sharply and turned away from her, and that was when she noticed that his shoulders were shaking. "Jay?"

"Yeah?" His voice broke as he said it, and so did her heart.

"I really do love you," she said as she moved closed to him. "I never stopped." Heather closed the gap between them and hugged him from behind. She smiled when she felt him relax under her touch.

He turned around slowly, and she didn't let go. "Promise me you'll stay this time," he ordered firmly and her heart skipped a beat.

"I promise," she said sincerely.

"Okay," he nodded, as he pulled her close to him, holding her tightly.

She pulled away first and in a move that surprised them both, crashed her lips into his. His hands settled on her hips, pulling her closer to him. One hand moved to his neck while the other ran through his hair. She started moving without even realizing it, pulling him in the direction of the bed. Clothes were removed and then he was pulling her towards him, and at the contact of their skin, a mixture of emotions shot straight into her system; desire, lust, and excitement. Everywhere he touched she felt a sizzling burning feeling, and her breath kept coming in shorter as more seconds ticked by. From the way his hands were moving, it was pretty easy to tell that their desires were mutual.

He reached up and pulled her deeper into the covers with him, into a never-ending abyss of pleasure and desire.

.

.

She woke up the next morning cuddled against his bare chest, feeling nothing but bliss and satisfaction. The mattress felt soft and endearing under her body, but she felt laying against his stiff frame and using his arm as a pillow was much more comfortable and preferable. Just thinking about last night brought a beaming smile to her face.

She quietly got up, wrapping a sheet around her frame as she went, wanting to explore his place. She padded silently to the kitchen, taking a glass of water with her, before continuing her trek. She stopped short when she saw it. There ass literally a _wall_ of books. She quickly walked over to it, fascinated by the sheer number of them. She knew he had always loved books, most of their conversation had revolved around them, but this still took her by surprise.

She smiled as she remembered their debates, how much they used to disagree on some things. Their English teacher had loved that.

She felt arms slip around her waist and she smiled, leaning back into his chest.

"Morning, beautiful," he mummered quietly, kissing the side of her face.

"Morning, handsome," she replied, smiling softly. "Still a bookworm, I see."

He chuckled, kissing her lips softly. "Go change. I'm taking you out for breakfast." He pulled away from her, heading for the kitchen.

Heather pouted, missing his warmth immediately. "Someone's bossy this morning," she called after him. She heard his laugh and smiled, oddly proud of herself for that.

She headed back to the bed, picking up her clothes as she went. "I need to change," she mumbled as she lay the clothes on the bed. "Hey, Jay-"

Sadly, she never got to finish that sentence. She heard glass shatter, felt the excruciating pain in her side, then fell to the ground.

The last thing she felt was Jamie's hands, hugging her close.

And the last thing she heard was his voice, begging her to stay, to not leave him.

And then, Heather felt nothing.

* * *

_**So sorry for the delay, you guys! Writer's block is a bitch. But I think I'll do better from now on. Maybe.**_

_**So what do you think? Is Thea dead?**_


End file.
